How Does Meituan Company Work?

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How Does Meituan Company Work?

Meituan, a leader in China's digital services, excels in on-demand local commerce. Its Q1 2025 revenue hit CNY 86.6 billion, up 18% year-on-year, with net profit soaring 87.3% to CNY 10.06 billion.

How Does Meituan Company Work?

This growth highlights its essential role in meeting daily consumer needs across China and beyond. The company's vast scale facilitates over 50 million daily transactions, showcasing its extensive reach and operational capacity.

Meituan operates a comprehensive super-app offering food delivery, dining services, travel bookings, and entertainment. Its 'Retail + Technology' strategy, supported by CNY 21.1 billion in R&D investment in 2024, drives efficiency and market dominance. Understanding its Meituan BCG Matrix is key to grasping its operational model and revenue streams.

What Are the Key Operations Driving Meituan’s Success?

Meituan's core operations revolve around its 'Food + Platform' strategy, connecting consumers with local businesses through a comprehensive mobile application. The company's value proposition is built on convenience, variety, and efficient service delivery across multiple segments.

Icon Core Local Commerce

This segment, which generated CNY 64.3 billion in Q1 2025, includes food delivery, on-demand retail, and various lifestyle services. It forms the backbone of how Meituan works by catering to everyday consumer needs.

Icon Meituan Instashopping

This service offers instant delivery of groceries and daily necessities from 'Lightning Warehouses.' With over 30,000 such warehouses in operation, the company plans to expand this network significantly.

Icon Technological Backbone

Advanced AI and big data analytics are crucial for optimizing Meituan's operations. These technologies enhance supply chain management, personalize user experiences, and improve delivery efficiency.

Icon Delivery System Efficiency

Meituan's intelligent dispatch system, implemented in 2019, has demonstrably improved delivery times. It reduced average delivery time by 20.96% and courier travel distance by 23.77%.

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Meituan's 'Super-App' Model

Meituan's unique 'super-app' model integrates over 200 services, fostering high user engagement and retention. This comprehensive ecosystem creates powerful network effects, a key aspect of its Meituan business model.

  • Connects millions of local businesses with consumers.
  • Offers a wide array of services beyond food delivery.
  • Leverages advanced technology for operational efficiency.
  • Drives user loyalty through a unified platform experience.
  • This integrated approach is central to understanding how Meituan works and its competitive advantage. For a deeper dive into its origins, explore the Brief History of Meituan.

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How Does Meituan Make Money?

Meituan's financial performance in 2024 showcased robust growth, with total revenue reaching RMB 337.6 billion, an increase of 22.0% compared to the previous year. This expansion is driven by a diversified revenue model, primarily segmented into Core Local Commerce and New Initiatives.

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Core Local Commerce Dominance

The Core Local Commerce segment is the main revenue engine for Meituan. In 2024, it generated RMB 250.2 billion, marking a 20.9% year-over-year rise. This segment's success is built on delivery services, merchant commissions, and online marketing.

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Delivery and Commission Growth

Delivery revenue saw a significant jump in Q1 2025, reaching CNY 25.72 billion, up 22.1%. Similarly, commission revenue grew by 20.1% to CNY 24.05 billion in the same quarter, highlighting the strength of its Meituan delivery system.

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Expanding Service Offerings

Beyond food delivery, Meituan also earns from in-store dining, hotel bookings, and travel services. These Meituan services contribute to the overall revenue, leveraging the Meituan app features and functionality.

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New Initiatives Expansion

The New Initiatives segment, encompassing businesses like grocery retail and bike sharing, generated RMB 87.3 billion in 2024, a 25.1% increase. This segment is crucial for Meituan's e-commerce strategy and future growth.

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Loss Reduction in New Ventures

Operating losses in the New Initiatives segment narrowed considerably to RMB 7.3 billion in 2024 from RMB 20.2 billion in 2023. This improvement in operating loss margin to negative 8.3% indicates a more efficient Meituan business model.

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International Market Entry

Meituan is actively expanding its revenue sources through international operations, such as its KeeTa delivery service. Launched in Hong Kong in May 2023 and Saudi Arabia in September 2024, with a planned $1 billion investment in Brazil, this demonstrates Meituan's expansion into new markets.

Meituan's monetization strategies are deeply integrated within its super-app ecosystem, focusing on platform fees, transaction fees, and advertising. This approach allows for effective cross-selling of its diverse Meituan services, enhancing the overall Meituan user experience. Understanding the Marketing Strategy of Meituan provides further insight into how the company drives engagement and revenue across its various offerings.

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Key Revenue Drivers and Monetization

Meituan's ability to make money stems from its comprehensive platform that connects consumers with local businesses. The Meituan business model effectively leverages its vast logistics network and user base.

  • Delivery Services: Charging fees for facilitating the delivery of goods, a core component of Meituan operations.
  • Merchant Commissions: Taking a percentage of transactions processed through the platform.
  • Online Marketing Services: Offering advertising and promotional tools to merchants to increase visibility.
  • Platform Fees: Charging businesses for access to the Meituan platform and its customer base.
  • Transaction Fees: Applicable across various services like hotel bookings and travel.
  • New Initiatives Revenue: Income generated from newer ventures such as grocery retail and sharing services.

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Which Strategic Decisions Have Shaped Meituan’s Business Model?

Meituan's evolution from a daily deals site to a comprehensive lifestyle platform showcases its adaptability and strategic foresight. This transformation has been fueled by key acquisitions and a relentless focus on integrating diverse services into a single, user-friendly super-app, fundamentally shaping how Meituan operations function today.

Icon From Daily Deals to Super-App

Initially launched as a 'Groupon of China' in 2010, Meituan rapidly expanded its service offerings. It evolved into a 'Food + Platform' super-app, integrating over 200 different services to cater to a wide array of consumer needs, demonstrating a core aspect of the Meituan business model.

Icon Strategic Acquisitions and Integrations

A significant strategic move was the acquisition of Mobike in 2018. This integration brought bike-sharing services into the Meituan ecosystem, further enhancing its utility and reach within urban environments.

Icon Focus on Ultra-Fast Delivery and AI

In Q1 2024, Meituan strategically pivoted towards ultra-fast delivery and AI-powered merchant tools. An upgraded live streaming feature for food delivery, launched in March 2024, saw a 300% increase in merchant participation and a 35% higher average order value during live sessions.

Icon Navigating Competition and Enhancing Efficiency

Facing intense competition, Meituan has concentrated on operational efficiency and strengthening its core food delivery business. The company leverages its extensive real-time delivery network, which handles over 60 million orders daily, to maintain its market position.

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Meituan's Competitive Advantages

Meituan's competitive edge is built on several key pillars, including a vast merchant network and a highly efficient delivery infrastructure. Its dominant market share in China's food delivery sector, estimated at around 60% as of early 2024, underscores its strong market presence.

  • Extensive merchant network
  • Efficient delivery infrastructure supporting over 60 million daily orders
  • Dominant market share in Chinese food delivery (approx. 60% in early 2024)
  • Continuous investment in technology, including AI and autonomous delivery

The company's commitment to technological advancement is evident in its substantial R&D expenditures, which reached CNY 21.1 billion in 2024. This investment fuels innovations like automated wok stations in 1,200 partner restaurants and AI menu optimization tools that have reduced food waste by 18%. Meituan also actively expands its grocery retail business and pursues international growth through its KeeTa brand in markets like Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia, with further plans for Brazil, reflecting its broad Mission, Vision & Core Values of Meituan.

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How Is Meituan Positioning Itself for Continued Success?

Meituan holds a commanding position in China's local services sector, particularly in food delivery where it maintained approximately 70% of the domestic market share as of July 2025. Its integrated 'super-app' approach cultivates robust customer loyalty by addressing a wide spectrum of daily needs. The company's international presence is growing, with its KeeTa service achieving a 44% market share in Hong Kong by March 2024 and expanding into Saudi Arabia in September 2024, with a planned $1 billion investment over five years for its entry into Brazil.

Icon Industry Position

Meituan is a dominant force in China's on-demand local services market, especially in food delivery. Its 'super-app' strategy unifies numerous daily necessities, fostering strong user engagement and loyalty.

Icon International Expansion

The company's global reach is expanding through its KeeTa service, which has secured a significant market share in Hong Kong and is entering new territories like Saudi Arabia and Brazil. This international push is supported by substantial investment.

Icon Key Risks

Intensifying competition from rivals, potential price wars impacting margins, and evolving regulatory landscapes present significant challenges. Changes in consumer preferences and the constant need for technological advancement are also critical factors.

Icon Future Outlook

Meituan is focused on strengthening its core food delivery business, expanding instant retail, and making substantial investments in AI. The company aims for over 100 million daily orders and is committed to technological innovation and courier welfare.

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Strategic Focus and Growth Drivers

Meituan's strategy centers on deepening its existing food delivery operations and expanding its instant retail services. A significant commitment to AI development underpins its future growth, aiming to achieve ambitious daily order targets and enhance operational efficiency. This focus on technology and service expansion is key to understanding the Target Market of Meituan.

  • Deepening food delivery business
  • Expanding instant retail offerings
  • Significant investment in AI
  • Aiming for over 100 million daily orders
  • Investing in advanced delivery technologies
  • Improving courier welfare and sustainability

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